High performance rechargeable battery pack for toy vehicles

ABSTRACT

A battery pack for high performance, radio-controlled toy vehicles, such as high speed vehicles with highly sensitive steering and/or driving (known as “digital proportional”) or other types of high performance toy vehicles/features requiring high voltage/high current. The battery pack provides improved performance for the toy, an improved layout of the pack/battery arrangement, improved safety features, and improved piracy prevention.

RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority on U.S. Provisional Application No.60/502,969 filed Sep. 16, 2003 and entitled “High PerformanceRechargeable Battery Pack For Toy Vehicles,” the disclosure of which isincorporated herein in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The instant invention relates to toy vehicles, such as remote controlwater and land vehicles, such as boats, cars, trucks, snowmobiles andthe like. More particularly, this invention relates to an improvedbattery pack for high performance, radio-controlled toy vehicles, suchas high speed vehicles with highly sensitive steering and/or driving(known as “digital proportional”) or other types of high performance toyvehicles/features requiring high voltage/high current.

The improved battery pack of the instant invention has severaladvantages over prior art battery packs, such as improved performancefor the toy, an improved layout of the pack/battery arrangement,improved safety features, and improved piracy prevention. The layout ofthe battery pack arrangement enables a large number of direct currentrechargeable cells to be efficiently incorporated into the pack. Thenumber of individual cells can vary depending on the specificcurrent/voltage desired for the particular application in which the packis to be used. For example, in one exemplary embodiment, sixteenindividual cells are provided each generating 1.2 volts individually and19.2 volts collectively. In this embodiment, the individual cells arearranged to two parallel, stacked rows of eight cells each. Theincreased power generated by this 19.2 volt pack enables increasedperformance for the toy vehicles, such as faster running speeds and/orthe ability to climb up and over steeper obstacles. Thus, the inventionenables mass-market toy vehicles to perform more like vehicles providedin the hobby trade.

The improved safety features in the battery pack include theincorporation of gas relief vents in a hard plastic case which housesthe individual battery cells. The vents prevent air pressure frombuilding within the case due to air expansion from heat generated by thepack during operation. Thus, the air pressure is dissipated through thevents so that the air pressure can remain equalized inside and outsidethe pack. The vents also enable any gas emissions that may be generatedfrom a damaged or decaying battery cell to be dissipated from the packin order to further improve the safety of the pack. Another safetyfeature is provided in the form of bulged and enlarged electricalcontact terminals for the battery pack. These improved electricalcontacts assure that a completely closed electric circuit is achievedwhen the battery pack is positioned in the battery compartment of a toyto prevent the possibility of the potentially dangerous electricalphenomenon known as “arcing.”

The invention provides improved piracy prevention by incorporating arecess/chamfer design at one end of the pack together with severalridges located at designated positions on each side of the pack toensure that only packs having this configuration will fit into the toyvehicle. This feature provides a proprietary battery pack for the toyvehicle and prevents other brands of battery packs from being used inthe vehicle and/or in the recharging devices for the battery pack. Theparticular location of the recess/chamfer at the end of the pack is alsoused to distinguish between battery packs having different voltages. Forexample, the location of the recess/chamfer on the 19.2 volt embodimentdescribed above would be different from the location of therecess/chamfer on a battery pack having a different voltage. The batterycompartment in the toy itself includes structural features thatcooperate with the recess/chamfer and side ridges on the pack in amanner that only enables the proper and proprietary pack to be installedin the toy.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Toy vehicles have proven to be very popular toys for children and adultsof all ages. Many different types of toy vehicles have been provided inthe past. For example, toy vehicles have been provided in the form oftoy boats, toy cars, toy trucks, toy construction equipment, toymotorcycles, toy snowmobiles and the like. Toy manufacturers areconstantly trying to find ways to improve the operation of toy vehiclesso that they look and function in a manner that is as real as possible,while also keeping the cost of the toy as low as possible. Many toyvehicles are made as miniaturized replicas of real full-size vehicles.Many such toys also include battery-driven motors that enable the toy tobe self-propelled, thereby providing greater realism and furtherenjoyment for the user. Toy manufacturers are constantly looking forways to make the toys less expensive and more reliable, while stillproviding a fun, exciting and safe toy. Toy manufacturers are alsotrying to provide improved performance for the toys in order to furtherenhance enjoyment of the toy.

Unlike the traditional toy trade, the hobby trade has incorporated highperformance features in its hobby quality radio-controlled vehicles,which are typically significantly more sophisticated and expensive ascompared to the mass-marketed radio-controlled toy vehicles. Such highperformance features include, for example, significantly higher speedsrelative to the mass-market toy vehicles, as well as more sensitivesteering, driving and/or other control features. These high performancefeatures are often referred to as “digital proportional” control. Suchhigh performance features require more powerful battery support ascompared to the typical mass-market toy vehicles.

Conventionally, battery support for toy vehicles has been provided inthe form of rechargeable battery packs containing a plurality ofrechargeable cells put together in a vinyl tube packaging. The typicalconfiguration of such battery packs is a single row of individualbattery cells. 9.6 volt and 7.2 volt battery packs have been readilyavailable in the market for use in such applications. The 7.2 volt packsare commonly used in the hobby trade for high performance toys.

The instant inventors have found that the conventional battery packsneed improvements in order to enable mass-market toy vehicles to includehigh performance features found in the hobby trade. Thus, a need existsfor an improved battery pack that is suitable for powering toys withhigh performance features, while still enabling the vehicle and thebattery pack to be inexpensive, reliable and safe. The instant inventionaddresses this need by providing an improved battery pack particularlysuited for use in toy vehicles with high performance features, such as ahigh performance radio-controlled snowmobile or the like. The batterypack of the invention incorporates an improved layout of thepack/battery arrangement, improved safety features, and improved piracyprevention.

The layout of the battery pack arrangement enables a large number ofdirect current rechargeable cells to be efficiently incorporated intothe pack. The number of individual cells can vary depending on thespecific current/voltage desired for the particular application in whichthe pack is to be used. The instant inventors have come up with anadvantageous layout design/battery arrangement that takes into accountseveral factors that enable the pack to be economically andadvantageously used in a variety of mass market toy vehicles. Forexample, the cell layout makes optimal use of the limited spaceavailable in the pack. The cell layout also facilitates economicalmanufacturing of the battery pack. In addition, because the increasedvoltage provided by the pack will generate additional heat, it isnecessary to effectively dissipate the heat in a reliable and efficientmanner. This instant inventors have found that this can be best achievedby arranging the individual cells in a two layer parallel configurationwith a pair of gas relief vents located at a center position on theopposite ends of the pack, respectively. This design allows optimal airconvection/flow. In addition, by providing a double layer, parallelconfiguration of the individual battery cells, the inventors have foundthat the battery pack fits best in a variety of battery compartments fordifferent radio-controlled vehicles having different vehiclesizes/dimensions. In one preferred embodiment, sixteen individual cellsare provided each generating 1.2 volts individually and 19.2 voltscollectively. In this embodiment, the individual cells are arranged totwo parallel, stacked rows of eight cells each. The increased powergenerated by this 19.2 volt pack enables increased performance for thetoy vehicles, such as faster speed running speeds and/or the ability toclimb up and over steeper obstacles. Thus, the invention enablesmass-market toy vehicles to perform more like vehicles provided in thehobby trade. The invention is not limited to the above-described 19.2volt embodiment; rather any number of individual cells can be used inaccordance with the instant invention depending on the particularapplication in which the invention is used. In other words, more thansixteen or less than sixteen individual cells can be used to provide thedesired voltage/current for a specific toy vehicle, in addition to theother features of the invention described herein.

The improved safety features in the battery pack include theincorporation of gas relief vents in a hard plastic case which housesthe individual battery cells. The vents are preferably formed byproviding cut-out portions on each end of both a first and second outercasing portion used to house the battery cells, such that when the firstand second casing portions are mated together the vents are defined inthe casing. The vents prevent air pressure from building within the casedue to air expansion from heat generated by the pack during operation.In other words, the air pressure is dissipated through the vents so thatthe air pressure can remain equalized inside and outside the pack. Thevents also enable any gas emissions that may be generated from a damagedor decaying battery cell to be dissipated from the pack in order tofurther improve the safety of the battery pack.

Another safety feature is provided in the form of bulged and enlargedelectrical contact terminals for the battery pack. The bulged andenlarged contact terminals are designed to contact correspondingterminals within the battery compartment of a vehicle in order toprovide power from the battery pack to the electrical components of thetoy vehicle, such as a motor and a radio frequency (RF) receiver. Unlikethe conventional flat and smaller contact terminals provided onconventional battery packs, these improved electrical contacts assurethat a completely closed electric circuit is achieved when the batterypack is positioned in the battery compartment of a toy to prevent thepossibility of the potentially dangerous electrical phenomenon known as“arcing.” This feature is advantageous in the battery pack of theinstant invention due to the increased voltage provided thereby.

In addition, the invention provides improved piracy prevention byincorporating a recess/chamfer design at one end of the pack togetherwith several ridges located at designated positions on each side of thepack to ensure that only packs having this configuration will fit intothe toy vehicle. This feature provides a proprietary battery pack forthe toy vehicle and prevents other brands of battery packs from beingused in the vehicle and/or in the recharging devices for the batterypacks. The particular location of the recess/chamfer at the end of thepack is also used to distinguish between battery packs having differentvoltages. For example, the location of the recess/chamfer on the 19.2volt embodiment described above would be different from the location ofthe recess/chamfer on a battery pack having a different voltage (e.g., abattery pack having more or less than sixteen 1.2 volt individualcells). The battery compartment in the toy itself includes structuralfeatures, such as a lug and slots, that cooperate with therecess/chamfer and side ridges, respectively, on the pack in a mannerthat only enables the proper and proprietary pack to be installed in thetoy.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other objects, features and advantages of the instantinvention will become apparent from the following detailed descriptionof the preferred embodiment when read in conjunction with the appendeddrawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary toy vehicle of a type to which the instantinvention is applicable;

FIG. 2 shows an enlarged, partial view of the exemplary toy vehicle ofFIG. 1, showing an exemplary embodiment of the battery compartment forreceiving a battery pack constructed in accordance with the instantinvention;

FIG. 3 shows an enlarged, partial view of a locking device provided onthe back portion of the battery compartment of FIG. 2 for use in lockinga battery pack into the correct position within the battery compartment;

FIG. 4 shows an enlarged, partial view of the front portion of thebattery compartment of FIG. 2 illustrating some of the elements whichcooperate with the battery pack to assure that only an authorized andproper voltage battery pack can be installed in the battery compartment;

FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of an exemplary battery pack charger foruse in charging a battery pack constructed in accordance with theinstant invention;

FIG. 6 shows an enlarged, partial view of the inside of the batterycharger that illustrates some of the elements which cooperate with thebattery pack to assure that only an authorized and proper voltagebattery pack can be installed in the battery charger;

FIG. 7 shows a front, perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of abattery pack constructed in accordance with the instant invention;

FIG. 8 shows a top perspective view of the battery pack of FIG. 7 readyfor insertion into the battery charger of FIG. 5;

FIG. 9 shows a right side view of the battery pack of FIG. 7;

FIG. 10 shows a sectional end view of the battery pack of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 shows a sectional side view of the battery pack of FIG. 7 thatillustrates the layout of the individual battery cells within thebattery pack;

FIG. 12 shows a perspective view of one portion of the outer casing usedto house the individual battery cells in the battery pack of FIG. 7;

FIG. 13 shows a perspective view of the collection of battery cells usedin the battery pack of FIG. 7; and

FIG. 14 shows a perspective view of the collection of battery cellsshown in FIG. 13 inserted into one portion of the outer casing shown inFIG. 12.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The preferred embodiments of the instant invention will now be describedwith reference to the drawings. The embodiments described are onlyexemplary and are not meant to limit the scope of the invention beyondthe express scope of the appended claims. In connection with thedrawings, like reference numerals represent similar parts throughout thevarious views.

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary toy vehicle 10 in the form of a miniaturizedsnowmobile. However, the instant invention is applicable to any suitableremote control toy powered by a motor and requiring electric power. Thetoy vehicle is preferably provided with a remote control device, such asa radio frequency transmitter 12, for controlling the operation of thevehicle, which includes a suitable receiver for receiving the controlsignals sent by the transmitter. The toy vehicle 10 includes an outerhousing 14 preferably made from a suitable plastic or other materialthat enables the toy vehicle to be very durable. The housing 14 may becomprised of, for example, upper and lower housing sections that arejoined together, in a known manner, during assembly of the toy. Aminiaturized motor (not shown) is contained within the toy's housing 14for propelling the vehicle when the motor is energized. In thisembodiment, the motor drives a belt 16 designed to grip snow in order topropel the toy over snow. Movable ski elements 18 are provided in thefront of the toy for enabling steering control for the toy, therebyproviding a fun and exciting toy that simulates a real workingsnowmobile. A battery compartment 22 is provided in the snowmobilehousing 14 which is accessed by lifting the simulated seat section 20 ofthe snowmobile. The battery compartment 22 is designed to receive abattery pack constructed in accordance with the instant invention, aswill be described in detail below.

The toy vehicle 10 may be remotely controlled by an operator using, forexample, an appropriate wireless transmitter 12. In this embodiment, thetoy vehicle 10 includes an antenna (not shown) for receiving controlsignals from the wireless transmitter 12. The wireless transmitter 12 isused in this embodiment to send, for example, forward, reverse,acceleration and turning commands to the toy vehicle during operation.Turning of the toy vehicle is achieved in a known manner by controllingthe angle of ski elements 18. Alternatively, the toy vehicle may operateon its own once the motor is energized. For example, the vehicle couldhave a drive system that causes the vehicle to move in a presetdirection. Alternatively, the ski elements 18 may be manually movable toa desired location by the user prior to energizing the toy watercraft 10in a manner that manually preprograms a set direction for the toy.

The toy vehicle is preferably constructed and designed to simulate areal vehicle, such as a snowmobile, car, truck, boat, jet ski or othertype of land or water vehicle, thereby providing a realistic butminiaturized toy vehicle. The overall design and construction of suchtoy vehicles, such as that shown in FIG. 1, are generally known to thoseskilled in the art of toy design and manufacture. Thus, no furtherspecific details regarding the particular vehicle itself will beprovided herein, so as not to obscure the description of the batterypack assembly of the instant invention with unnecessary details. Theremaining description herein will focus on the battery pack itself andhow it cooperates with the toy vehicle and a recharger device to enablehigh performance features in the toy vehicle.

FIG. 2 shows an enlarged, partial view of the battery compartment 22 inthe toy vehicle 10. The battery compartment 22 is specifically designedto receive a high voltage/high current rechargeable battery packconstructed in accordance with the instant invention for enabling highperformance features to be incorporated into the toy vehicle. Moreparticularly, as shown in FIG. 2, the battery compartment 22 includes aforward end 24 and a rear end 32, as well as contact terminals 26, a lug28, slots 30 and a locking device 34. A battery pack constructed inaccordance with the invention is designed to be placed in thecompartment 22 toward the rear end 32 and slid forward into itsoperating position where the battery pack makes electric contact withthe terminals 26. The locking device is used to force the battery packagainst the forward end 24 of the battery compartment by rotation of thelocking device 34. The lug 28 and slots 30 in the battery compartment 22cooperate with structural features on the battery pack, as explainedbelow, to enable a proper battery pack to be installed in the batterycompartment 22, while at the same time preventing unauthorized batterypacks from being installed in the compartment 22.

FIG. 3 shows an enlarged, partial view of the rear end 32 of the batterycompartment 22 in the vehicle 10. As indicated above, the locking device34 is pivotally connected to a base portion 38 in the batterycompartment. The locking device 34 includes a forward face portion 38that has a curved configuration designed to force the battery forwardwhen rotated, as indicated by arc 36, from an unlocked position to thelocked position shown in FIG. 3. In the unlocked position (not shown)the forward face 38 of the locking device is positioned in space 33, sothat it is out of the interior of the battery compartment and does notinterfere with the insertion of a battery pack into the batterycompartment. This enables the battery pack to be inserted into thebattery compartment such that a rear edge of the battery pack isadjacent the rear wall 37 of the rear end 32 of the battery compartment22. Once in this rearward position, the locking device 34 can be used toforce the battery pack forward towards the forward end of the batterycompartment and into electrical contact with the terminals 26.

As will be explained in detail below, the battery pack includes arecess/chamfer in the forward end thereof which receives the lug 28 soas not to prevent the lug from stopping the battery pack from slidingforward into contact with the terminals 26. In addition, the sides ofthe battery pack includes ridges shaped to slide into slots 30 on eachside of the battery compartment so that the slots allow the battery packto slide into contact position. Thus, the specific size and location ofthe lug 28 and the slots 30 prevent battery packs not havingcorresponding structural features from being used in the batterycompartment. This feature helps to assure that only proprietary and/orauthorized battery packs are used in the toy vehicle. The specificposition of the lug 28 along the end wall of the forward end 24 of thebattery compartment 22 also dictates what specific voltage the batterypack must have to be inserted into the battery compartment. In otherwords, the lug 28 will prevent battery packs not having a recess/chamferat a position that corresponds to the position of the lug 28 from beingoperably inserted into the battery compartment. Thus, this featureenables toy manufacturers to provide different voltage battery packs fordifferent toys while also assuring that only the proper voltage batterypack can be inserted in a toy. FIG. 4 shows an enlarged, partial view ofthe forward end 24 of the battery compartment 22 illustrating in closerdetail the shape of the lug 28 and one of the slots 30, as well as thecontact terminal 26. As seen in FIG. 4, the lug 28 protrudes into thebattery compartment and has a curved face 29 adapted to be received intothe recess/chamfer on the front of the battery pack. The slots 30 areeach preferably in the form of an inverted “L” shape, thereby defining arearwardly facing slot for receiving a corresponding structural feature(e.g., ridges) on the battery pack. Thus, the lug and slots in thebattery compartment cooperate with the recess/chamfer and the ridges onthe battery pack, such that the battery pack can be slid forward in thebattery compartment to a position wherein the contacts on the batterypack connect with the contact terminals 26, having bulged contactportions 27, of the battery compartment.

In addition to fitting in the battery compartment 22, the battery packof the invention is designed to be rechargeable and, therefore, to fitinto a battery pack recharger. FIG. 5 shows an exemplary batteryrecharger device 40 having similar structural features as the batterycompartment 22, so that the battery pack can be inserted into thebattery charger 40 in a manner that is similar to the above-describedmanner in which the battery pack is inserted into the batterycompartment. More particularly, as more clearly seen in FIG. 6, theinside of the battery charger includes a lug 42 and slots 44 whichcooperate with the recess/chamfer and ridges on the battery pack toenable the battery pack to be inserted into the battery charger suchthat the battery pack terminal contacts the recharger terminal 46. Thebattery charger is, of course, connected to a power supply, such as awall outlet, to enable the charger to recharge the battery pack forrepeated use in the toy vehicle.

FIG. 7 shows a front, perspective view of a battery pack 50 constructedin accordance with the preferred embodiment of the instant invention anddesigned to be inserted into the above-described toy vehicle batterycompartment 22 and the battery charger 40. As seen in FIG. 7, thebattery pack 50 includes a first portion 52 and a second portion 54which mate together to form an outer casing for the battery pack 50. Thefirst and second portions 52 and 54 are preferable constructed of a hardplastic material. The forward end of the battery pack 50 includes arecess/chamfer 56 that cooperates with the lug in the batterycompartment 22 and the battery charger 40 to enable the battery pack tobe operably inserted into these devices. The sides of the battery packinclude ridges 58, preferably in the form of reverse “L” shapes, thathave portions that respectively slide into the slots 30 in the batterycompartment and slots 44 in the recharger. FIG. 8 shows the battery packbeing inserted into the battery charger 40. The particular location ofthe recess/chamfer 56 along the forward edge of the battery pack is usedto designate the particular voltage of the battery pack and to assurethat the battery pack can only be inserted into a toy having thedesignated lug position for that voltage.

The battery pack includes gas relief vents 62 in the hard plastic casewhich houses the individual battery cells. The vents 62 are preferablylocated at the center of each end of the battery pack, one of which isshown in FIG. 7. The vents are preferably formed by providing cut-outportions on each end of both the first and second outer casing portions52 and 54 used to house the battery cells, such that when the first andsecond casing portions are mated together the vents are defined in eachend of the casing. The vents prevent air pressure from building withinthe case due to air expansion from heat generated by the battery packduring operation. In other words, the air pressure is dissipated throughthe vents 62 so that the air pressure can remain equalized inside andoutside the pack 50. The vents 62 also enable any gas emissions that maybe generated from a damaged or decaying battery cell to be dissipatedfrom the pack. FIG. 7 also shows another safety feature provided in theform of bulged and enlarged electrical contact terminals 60 for thebattery pack 50. The bulged and enlarged contact terminals 60 aredesigned to contact the corresponding terminals 26 within the batterycompartment 22 of the vehicle 10 in order to provide power from thebattery pack to the electrical components of the toy vehicle, such as amotor and a radio frequency (RF) receiver. Unlike the conventional flatand smaller point contact terminals provided on conventional batterypacks, these improved electrical contacts 60 assure that a completelyclosed electric circuit is achieved when the battery pack 50 ispositioned in the battery compartment 22. By making the contacts 60larger and bulged outwardly, more positive and reliable contact is madebetween the battery pack and the device in which it is installed. Thisfeature is advantageous in the battery pack 50 of the instant inventiondue to the increased voltage provided thereby.

FIG. 9 shows a side view of the battery pack 50 of FIG. 7 which furtherillustrates the first casing portion 52, second casing portion 54,ridges 58 and improved contact terminal 60. FIG. 10 shows a sectionalend view of the battery pack 50, which again shows the first and secondcasing portions 52 and 54, as well as the gas relief vent 62. FIG. 11shows a side sectional view of the battery pack 50 having two parallelrows (74 and 76) of eight individual battery cells 70 all interconnectedto via connectors 72 so as to define a single power source through theterminals 60 of the pack. In this embodiment, there are sixteen cells,but any suitable number of cells in each row can be used. For example,each row could have more or less than eight cells, but the number ofcells in each row preferably correspond to each other. In thisembodiment, each of the cells is a 1.2 volt cell, thereby defining a19.2 volt battery pack. This battery pack has been found to beparticularly suitable for providing high performance features in massmarket toy vehicles. The voltage of each cell can also vary depending onthe particular application in which the invention is used.

FIG. 12 shows the second portion 54 of the outer casing of the batterypack 50. As seen in FIG. 12, each end wall includes a cut-out portion 62to define part of the gas relief vents 62 in the battery pack. Inaddition, the rear end of the casing 54 includes an indented portion 64that cooperates with the locking device 34 to hold the battery pack inplace in the toy's battery compartment 22. More specifically, the curvedforward face 38 of the locking device snaps into the indent 64 in thesecond casing 54 when rotated to the locked position shown in FIG. 3.FIG. 12 also shows the location 61 where the contact terminal 60 isinstalled. As seen in FIG. 12, the recess/chamfer 56, the ridges 58, theindent 64, and the cut-outs 62 for the gas relief vent are allintegrally formed into the second casing portion 54. The first casingportion 52 is constructed in a similar fashion to second casing portion54, except without the lug, indent and ridges (see, e.g., FIG. 7). Thefirst casing portion 52 includes cut-out portions corresponding toelements 62 of FIG. 12, so that the gas relief vents 62 are formed ineach end of the battery pack when the first and second casing portions52 and 54 are mated together. The instant inventors have found thatlocating the vents 62 in the location shown is advantageous when usedwith the specific battery cell layout discussed above to enable good airconvection/flow. A spacer sheet (see element 78 in FIG. 13), such as aplastic sheet, can optionally be placed between the two battery layers74 and 76 to further improve the structure of the battery arrangement.

FIG. 13 shows the battery arrangement 71 used in the battery packembodiment of FIG. 7. As seen in FIG. 13, the battery arrangement 71includes two rows 74 and 76 of individual battery cells 70, with aspacer sheet 78 therebetween. Each of the rows of batteries arepreferably encased in a vinyl covering after the individual cells areelectrically connected together. The battery arrangement is then readyto be inserted into the second casing portion 54, as shown in FIG. 14.Once the battery arrangement 71 is placed into the second casing portion54, the first casing portion 52 is mated together with and secured tothe second casing portion to complete the formation of the battery pack50. The battery pack 50 is then ready to be installed in the batterycompartment 22 of the toy vehicle 10 or the battery charger 40.

As can be seen from the above description, the instant inventionprovides an improved battery pack for high performance, radio-controlledtoy vehicles, such as high speed vehicles with highly sensitive steeringand/or driving (known as “digital proportional”) or other types of highperformance toy vehicles/features requiring high voltage/high current.

The improved battery pack of the instant invention has severaladvantages over prior art battery packs, such as improved performancefor the toy, an improved layout of the pack/battery arrangement,improved safety features, and improved piracy prevention. The layout ofthe battery pack arrangement enables a large number of direct currentrechargeable cells to be efficiently incorporated into the pack. Thenumber of individual cells can vary depending on the specificcurrent/voltage desired for the particular application in which the packis to be used. The increased power generated by the battery pack enablesincreased performance for the toy vehicles, such as faster speed runningspeeds and/or the ability to climb up and over steeper obstacles. Thus,the invention enables mass-market toy vehicles to perform more likevehicles provided in the hobby trade, thereby further improving therealism and enjoyment of the toy vehicle.

While the preferred forms and embodiment of the instant invention havebeen illustrated and described herein, it will be appreciated by thoseskilled in the art that various changes and/or modifications can be madeto the invention. Thus, the description herein is only exemplary and isnot meant to limit the invention beyond express language and scope ofthe appended claims.

1. An improved battery pack for high voltage/high current toy vehicleshaving high performance features, said battery pack comprising: a firstrow of a plurality of individual battery cells; a second row of aplurality of individual battery cells; wherein said first row and saidsecond row are configured in a stack parallel relationship such thatsaid first row is on top of said second row and each of said batterycells are electrically interconnected to define a single direct currentpower source with a defined voltage equal to the combined total of thevoltages of the individual battery cells in both the first and secondrows; said battery pack further comprising rigid casing having an upperouter casing portion and a lower outer casing portion that mate togetherto form in internal space within said casing that houses said powersource, wherein said upper and lower outer casing portions includecomplimentary cut-out portions in their respective end portions suchthat they define gas relief vents at each end of the rigid casing,wherein said gas relief vents prevent pressure from building within saidbattery casing as a result of heat from the power source and allows gasemissions from a damaged or decaying battery cell to be dissipated fromthe casing; and further wherein said lower outer casing includes arecess in a forward end thereof, the location of said recess on saidforward edge corresponding to a value of the defined voltage andenabling said battery pack to be inserted into a battery compartment ofa toy vehicle that is designed to operate with said defined voltage; andfurther wherein said battery pack includes a pair of electrical contactterminals for facilitating an electrical connection with electronics onthe toy vehicle, thereby providing a power source for operation of thetoy vehicle when said battery pack is installed therein.
 2. An improvedbattery pack for high current/high voltage toy vehicles as in claim 1,wherein said first row of individual battery cells includes eightbattery cells.
 3. An improved battery pack for high current/high voltagetoy vehicles as defined in claim 2, wherein said second row ofindividual battery cells includes eight battery cells.
 4. An improvedbattery pack for high current/high voltage toy vehicles as defined inclaim 3, wherein each of said individual battery cells in both saidfirst row and said second row have a voltage of 1.2 volts, therebydefining a 19.2 volt power source.
 5. An improved battery pack for highcurrent/high voltage toy vehicles as defined in claim 1, wherein each ofsaid first row of individual battery cells and said second row ofindividual battery cells are encased in a protective covering.
 6. Animproved battery pack for high current/high voltage toy vehicles asdefined in claim 5, wherein said protective covering is a vinylcovering.
 7. An improved battery pack for high current/high voltage toyvehicles as defined in claim 5, wherein a spacer sheet is providedbetween said first row and second row of individual battery cells.
 8. Animproved battery pack for high current/high voltage toy vehicles asdefined in claim 7, wherein said spacer sheet is a plastic sheet thatseparates said first row and said second row of individual batterycells.
 9. An improved battery pack for high current/high voltage toyvehicles as defined in claim 1, wherein said electrical contactterminals are enlarged relative to conventional contact terminals onbatteries for toy vehicle and are bulged outwardly from said batterypack to ensure a completely closed electrical circuit is achievedbetween said power source and the electronics in said toy vehicle whensaid battery pack is installed in said toy vehicle.
 10. An improvedbattery pack for high current/high voltage toy vehicles as defined inclaim 1, wherein the lower outer casing portion includes an indentedportion in the rear end thereof that is operable to receive a lockingdevice in a battery compartment of the toy vehicle when said batterypack is installed in said toy vehicle and said locking device is rotatedto a locking position.
 11. An improved battery pack for highcurrent/high voltage toy vehicles as defined in claim 1, wherein saidrigid casing is a hard plastic case.
 12. An improved battery pack forhigh current/high voltage toy vehicles as defined in claim 3, whereinsaid lower outer casing portion includes ridges on each side thereof,wherein said ridges define a proprietary battery pack that enables a toyvehicle with a battery compartment having slots corresponding to saidridges to only receive a battery pack having said ridges.
 13. Animproved battery pack for high current/high voltage toy vehicles asdefined in claim 12, wherein said ridges are L-shaped ridges.
 14. Animproved battery pack for high current/high voltage toy vehicles asdefined in claim 12, wherein a spaced pair of said ridges are providedon each side of said lower outer casing portion.
 15. An improved batterycompartment and battery pack for high voltage/high current toy vehicleshaving high performance features, said battery compartment comprising acompartment in said toy vehicle designed to receive a battery pack, saidcompartment including a rotatable locking device at a rear end of thecompartment and a lug at the forward end of the compartment that extendsinto the interior space of the compartment, said lug being located at aposition that corresponds to a defined voltage of a battery pack thatsaid compartment is designed to receive, and further wherein saidcompartment includes slots on the sides thereof that are operable toonly allow a battery pack having ridges corresponding to said slots tobe installed in said compartment, and further wherein said lockingdevice is operable to push the battery pack forward in the batterycompartment when rotated to a forward position within said compartment,said forward movement causing the ridges on said battery pack to slideinto said slots on the sides of said compartment, said compartmentfurther including electrical contacts; said battery pack comprising: afirst row of a plurality of individual battery cells; a second row of aplurality of individual battery cells; wherein said first row and saidsecond row are configured in a stack parallel relationship such thatsaid first row is on top of said second row and each of said batterycells are electrically interconnected to define a single direct currentpower source with a defined voltage equal to the combined total of thevoltages of the individual battery cells in both the first and secondrows; said battery pack further comprising rigid casing having an upperouter casing portion and a lower outer casing portion that mate togetherto form in internal space within said casing that houses said powersource, wherein said upper and lower outer casing portions includecomplimentary cut-out portions in their respective end portions suchthat they define gas relief vents at each end of the rigid casing,wherein said gas relief vents prevent pressure from building within saidbattery casing as a result of heat from the power source and allows gasemissions from a damaged or decaying battery cell to be dissipated fromthe casing; and further wherein said lower outer casing includes arecess in a forward end thereof, the location of said recess on saidforward edge corresponding to the location of said lug in saidcompartment, thereby enabling said battery pack to be inserted into saidcompartment of said toy vehicle; and further wherein said battery packincludes a pair of electrical contact terminals for facilitating anelectrical connection with said electrical contacts in the compartmentof the toy vehicle, thereby providing a power source for operation ofthe toy vehicle when said battery pack is installed therein.
 16. Animproved battery pack for high current/high voltage toy vehicles as inclaim 15, wherein said first row of individual battery cells includeseight battery cells.
 17. An improved battery pack for high current/highvoltage toy vehicles as defined in claim 16, wherein said second row ofindividual battery cells includes eight battery cells.
 18. An improvedbattery pack for high current/high voltage toy vehicles as defined inclaim 17, wherein each of said individual battery cells in both saidfirst row and said second row have a voltage of 1.2 volts, therebydefining a 19.2 volt power source.
 19. An improved battery pack for highcurrent/high voltage toy vehicles as defined in claim 15, wherein eachof said first row of individual battery cells and said second row ofindividual battery cells are encased in a protective covering.
 20. Animproved battery pack for high current/high voltage toy vehicles asdefined in claim 19, wherein said protective covering is a vinylcovering.